Cowboys announce DaRon Bland out 6-8 weeks due to foot injury
A season after playing all but two games without Trevon Diggs, another injury to an All-Pro cornerback has occurred for the Dallas Cowboys. DaRon Bland is expected to be out for at least six weeks due to a foot injury, likely occurring while the team was still in Oxnard.
Bland will have surgery to fix the issue as well. Eight weeks is currently viewed as the maximum amount of time missed, potentially lining up with the Cowboys’ bye week before facing the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 27.
“DaRon Bland experienced foot discomfort on Wednesday of last week during training camp in Oxnard,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “Subsequent imaging revealed a stress fracture in his foot. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury and is currently projected to be out for 6-8 weeks.”
When talking about top breakout stars in the NFL last season, Bland’s name is certainly up there. He stepped into a huge role when Diggs tore his ACL, moving outside after previously playing in the slot. Stephon Gilmore was on the opposite side but Bland went up against plenty of top wide receivers.
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Bland had nine interceptions during the 2023 season, returning five of those for touchdowns. That’s an NFL record, with the fifth occurring on Thanksgiving against the Washington Commanders. Fifteen PBUs were added alongside 69 total tackles, making a career year for Bland in his second campaign.
He was named a member of the first-team All-Pro team for his efforts. A finalist for Defensive Player of the Year too, Bland wound up finishing fifth in voting. Myles Garrett ultimately won out while fellow Cowboy Micah Parsons took home bronze.
Expectations were once again high heading into 2024. Maybe not to have nearly double-digit interceptions with five touchdowns. But Dallas decided against resigning Gilmore this offseason, who recently agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Bland was set to play opposite of Diggs and potentially form one of the NFL’s top cornerback duos. While they can still link up at some point this season, the partnership will form later in the year instead of Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.
Major injuries in the secondary are unfortunately nothing new in Dallas. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will have an obstacle to overcome, though, heading deeper into the depth chart in order to replace Bland.